1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and, in particular, to manufacturing aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for providing access to a joint in an aircraft.
2. Background
Aircraft are being designed and manufactured with greater and greater percentages of composite materials. Some aircraft may have more than 50 percent of their primary structure made from composite materials. Composite materials may be used in aircraft to decrease the weight of the aircraft. This decreased weight may improve payload capacities and fuel efficiencies. Further, composite materials may provide longer service life for various components in an aircraft.
For example, horizontal stabilizers may be formed from composite materials. The spars, skin panels, and other components in a horizontal stabilizer may be formed from composite materials. When joining two horizontal stabilizers to a centerline of an aircraft, spar boxes within the horizontal stabilizers may be joined to each other or to other structures in the aircraft. The two spar boxes may be joined through a tension fitting and/or a center box. A center box may be a structure that allows for the joining of two horizontal stabilizers to each other and/or to the center box. In joining the spar boxes to the centerline of the aircraft, access may be required to perform operations needed to form a joint to connect these components. In addition, these openings also may provide access to maintenance operators to inspect the joints after the aircraft has been in service.
The openings may not provide desired airflow over the horizontal stabilizers. As a result, access panels may be used to cover these openings. These access panels may have a design that may provide for desired airflow and load bearing for those portions of the horizontal stabilizers.
The use of access panels increases the number of parts that may be present in the horizontal stabilizers. As a result, a desired increase in complexity of the horizontal stabilizer may be present. Additionally, the access panels may have a design that may allow for a desired load to be placed on the horizontal stabilizers at those locations. These designs for the access panels may increase the weight of the aircraft. As a result, some gains in weight savings that may occur through the use of composite materials may be lost through the use of access panels.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.